Mizuki continued to stare on in shock, watching as the creature's body crumbled in front of her. It seemed it was turning to ash.
"Now, you." The man with the flame-colored hair approached Mizuki, and she felt fear grip her heart as he did so. She sprung up, forcing herself to move.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Mizuki questioned, her voice sounding far more panicked than she intended.
"There is no need to fear." he sheathed his sword, putting his hands in the air. "I am only here to help and protect."
Mizuki's fear dwindled a bit when she saw his lack of aggression, but her guard remained up. "Who are you? And what was that thing?"
He smiled, "My name is Kyojuro Rengoku. I am the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. That there was a demon. They eat humans." He lowered his hands, his expression becoming a bit more serious as the smile faded slightly, "You should be more careful. Running into the forest at night isn't safe, especially with demons around."
Mizuki stared at Rengoku, bewildered. "Demons? What do you mean?"
Rengoku chuckled, "Is it alright if I come a bit closer? I can explain more to you, if you wish. If not, I can escort you home."
Panic struck Mizuki at the second option. She doubted the fight between her family was over at this point, and the last thing she wanted Rengoku to see was the state of her family, especially since she had just met him. Besides, she was slightly curious. "I would like you to explain this all to me." Mizuki sat down on the soft grass once more.
Rengoku grinned and walked toward Mizuki, sitting beside her. "What is your name, young one?"
"Mizuki Tanaka." She murmured quietly.
"What a beautiful name!" He exclaimed. Mizuki was confused as to how he was so cheerful. He tilted his head at Mizuki's quiet demeanor, "You seem rather quiet, is that because of this?"
Mizuki shrugged, "It's how I normally am around people I just meet."
"Then we will have to change that immediately!" Rengoku smiled, "I will tell you all you need to know about the Demon Slayer Corps and Demons."
Mizuki simply nodded, listening to Rengoku intently, though refusing to maintain eye contact.
"Well, it's best to start with the demons." Rengoku started, looking off in the distance. "Demons were all once human, but they were transformed into those creatures by the first demon, Muzan Kibutsuji."
Mizuki tilted her head, confused, "But how did he become a demon?"
"That much is unknown." Rengoku responded, "All we know is that he is on a quest to become completely immortal, and we must stop him. However, he is an incredibly powerful being, so we must proceed with caution. He has had many years of preparation and training on his side, and he is almost impossible to defeat."
Mizuki nodded, a gesture for him to continue.
Rengoku acknowledged the gesture and kept talking, "Most demons can only be killed a certain number of ways. Slicing off their heads or just completely destroying their heads is the way most slayers do it, though less on the destroying part!" He laughed heartily before continuing, "Another way demons can be defeated is by the sunlight. It burns them to an ash, just as you saw with that demon a few moments ago."
"Do demons burn to an ash no matter how you kill them?" Mizuki inquired, intrigued.
Rengoku smiled, "Ah! I'm glad you've asked, The third way one can kill a demon is with a poison called Wisteria, though it may not work on stronger demons. The Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, uses Wisteria poison with her sword techniques. Though it kills the demons, it does not disintegrate the body."
